Video/Photo: INFORMATION AND examples

Please Note: While INsight accepts many investigations, it is currently INsight's policy not to release any evidence to the general public. We do this to ensure our clients privacy as well as to protect certain proprietary techniques that we have developed. A limited release of evidence that is deemed useful for educational reasons will be either posted in our forum or displayed at public events for education reasons.

If you are interested in capturing your own photo or video evidence, here we provide you with some tips to help. These are some of the very same methods used by INsight Paranormal and will optimize your chances of catching your own photos and videos. Tips to catching your own evidence: Photo - Video By: Ghost Studies.com.

GHOST PHOTOGRAPHY: HISTORY

By: Bryan Bonner of Rocky Mountain Paranormal
 

During the last several years ghost photography, has made a major change.

Even in the earliest years of photography, there was the appearance of Ghosts.  some of the more famous ones would include images like Raynham hall spirit of Dorothy Walpole of East Anglia, England.

It seems that for the first several decades of this type of photography, the ghosts always had a definite human or animal shape.
Photographs from this period usually had some sort of translucent figure that would include a floating head, eyes, arms, face or even a complete figure.

Usually photographs of spirits were taken by using several different techniques.  The different kinds of techniques are:  Using a device to trip the shutter when there is a sound, a change in light, a change in temperature or electromagnetism, or by when the photographer saw something.

Ghost photography in the past several years has become something different.

The latest ghost photos no longer include images of human or animal shapes, but now they have orbs and vortexes Some samples include images taken by a new breed of ghost hunter.  This new photographer does not use the traditional approach of trying to capture an image by taking photographs randomly in a haunted location. Usually without even researching the history of the haunt.

These newest photos have been taken with digital high tech equipment, that has yet to be certifiable to its ability to generate images that are not influenced by other sources, such as interference from other digital equipment, standard camera flashes, different sources of interior lighting and household appliances.

Some of the high end digital cameras have reasonably good resolution, but they also cost $5,000.00 to $30,000.00.  The cameras that are being used to take the majority of the ghost photos are the very low end $99-$500 range that are not capable of recording high quality images. Most of these cameras save the images as .jpg files, this means that the image has already been compressed and that parts of the image have been thrown away to be interpolated later by whatever program they will be viewed with.

Some traditional ghost chasers have been labeled skeptics by this new breed of ghost hunter. I personally feel that there is Something out there and we need to do as much research as possible.

We need to take an open minded approach but still have the ability to look at the evidence and examine it without a over zealous approach.  I think that one of the current problems in this field is the want for the researcher to see an image in a photograph. This can cause people to misjudge images and see things that just aren't there or can easily be explained by natural conditions or occurrences.

I have done some research using digital imaging on some "orb" photographs, by placing a lens flare caused by a simulated flash in the same general area as the flash in the original photograph and this was the result.

Some ghost hunters claim that all of us that question the use of digital cameras and the validity of orbs have no experience in the field of digital imaging.  I have over 25 years experience in photography, 14 years in professional lab experience, and worked for Kodak for 4 years as a technician and manager of their worldwide digital imaging testing and production center.  So its not without years of field experience that I make the Previous statements.

Photography Techniques

  • Take photos in no light or low light, using a flash
     

  • Be careful of reflective surfaces, such as windows, mirrors, puddles of water, automobiles,
     

  • Take photos with people in them, ghosts like to hang out near the living.
     

  • Take photos behind you, ghosts like to follow the living.
     

  • Talk to ghosts as you investigate, treat them as if they are with you.  Quite possibly they are.
     

  • Concentrate on areas that elicit an emotion from you, such as sadness, anger, fear or even joy.  Ghosts can effect our emotions.
     

  • No smoking during an investigation.  The smoke looks like ecto in photos.  One person smoking during an investigation will cause the legitimacy of all results to be questioned.  Be respectful of your time and money as well as that of your fellow investigators. 
     

  • Do not consume alcohol during an investigation.  Not only can it make you careless and more prone to accident, but it also makes you an unreliable witness to whatever phenomena you may encounter.

 

Outdoors

  • Watch for light pollution.  Avoid taking photos with lights in them.
     

  • Be aware of weather conditions.  Avoid taking photos when its raining, snowing or foggy.
     

  • When investigating outdoors, be sure to thoroughly photograph any structures in the area.  Ghosts like buildings.
     

  • Be sure to photograph the gate or entrance as you depart an investigation.  Tell the ghosts that this is their last chance to be photographed.
     

  • Avoid taking photos of huge open areas, your flash will have a hard time illuminating it and auto focus cameras will have a hard time focusing in low light.  Instead, have something fairly close in your background, such as a tree, structure or gravestone.
     

  • Be respectful when investigating cemeteries.  Do not leave trash behind.  Do not disturb grave offerings.  Many ghost hunters will pick up garbage when they arrive at a cemetery and straighten offerings. 
     

  • If possible do not use a flashlight.  The light from it can create a false positive in the other investigators photos.  Also, many ghosts seem to prefer the dark.
     

  • Be aware of your surroundings.  Look for oddities, things out of place, such as graves facing an unusual direction, graves off by themselves or areas with lots of child burials.
     

  • Give the local authorities a heads up.  Call the non-emergency number, tell the dispatcher your name, the name of the location you will be investigating, what you will be doing and an approximate arrival time. 
     

  • Follow posted restrictions.  If there is a sign on the gate saying the location closes at dusk do not enter it after dusk without permission.  Areas controlled by the State or Federal government, such as parks and historic areas are prone to surveillance.
     

  • If you are able, adjust the flash on your camera in relation to the distance covered in each photo.  For example; if your taking photos in a wide open area you will need the flash to be as high as you can get it.  (for night photography) .  However, if you are photographing in a more crowded setting, such as a cemetery or wooded area you will need to lower your flash level somewhat.  Keep your flash settings as low as you can to avoid excess flash bounce.

 

      Indoors

  •        Pay special attention to stairways, ghosts like to hang out in them.

  •        Pay special  attention to doorways, ghosts like to hang out in them.

  •        Attics and basements are often haunted, as are bathrooms.

  •       Be aware that some glossy wall paints can reflect your flash, as can posters, and even white items.

  •      Your flash level may need to be adjusted.  As a general rule, indoor low light photography requires a low flash setting.  However, if you are investigating a large open area, such as a warehouse or gymnasium, you may need to increase the setting to high.

  •       It is never safe to investigate decrepit buildings.  However, I have learned that you are much less likely to fall through a floor if you walk along the wall as opposed to walking through the middle of a room.   Also, before entering a room check out the ceiling for water stains and avoid those areas of the floor.  Leaks can weaken a floor.  Walk as close to the wall as possible when ascending or descending stairways. 

Video

Many of the same rules apply to video photography as do to still photography.  However, there are some additional tips to follow;

      In order to see ghosts in a low light video recording it is necessary to record the image in infra-red.  On Sony cameras this format is known as Nightshot?. 

     Generally ghostly phenomena moves very fast, so in order to record the image the video camera needs to either be stationary, or moved very slowly.